Liverpool have reiterated their demand for an independent investigation into the unsavoury scenes that marred their Champions League final loss to Real Madrid, while UK culture secretary Nadine Dorries urged UEFA to probe the "concerning" events.
Liverpool called for an investigation after reports of supporters being targeted by heavy-handed policing ahead of the contest at the Stade de France on Saturday, with the showpiece event delayed over half an hour as Reds fans struggled to enter the stadium.
UEFA initially blamed the disruption on fans using counterfeit tickets, with the French interior minister supporting such claims, but widespread reports of police using tear gas and pepper spray on orderly supporters have led to calls for an investigation.
Merseyside Police praised the "exemplary" behaviour of most Liverpool fans in a statement released on Sunday, while Reds supporters group Spirit of Shankly hit out at the "incompetence" of the final's organisers.
The Premier League club have now repeated their demands for a "transparent" probe into the scenes, with CEO Billy Hogan telling the club's media channels it is "unacceptable" that fan safety was put at risk.
"What happened outside the stadium completely overshadowed [the match]," he said. "The stadium entry and the breakdown in security was absolutely unacceptable, and frankly, the treatment of our fans as well.
"As we discussed last night with UEFA, we are asking for a full and transparent investigation, an independent investigation that can help to establish the facts.
"It's absolutely imperative that we understand what happened and how we got into that situation, where people's safety was put at risk. It's important that we understand what happened last night, but it's also important that we take whatever the lessons are and ensure it never happens again.
"As an example, the Merseyside Police was on the ground in an advisory capacity, and as you may have seen they put a statement out earlier today [Sunday], where they talked about the behaviour of the fans being exemplary, doing what they were asked to do and being orderly, and [discussing] the fact fans were there very early at the stadium as well.
"We're intent on ensuring there's an independent investigation, and obviously we as a club will absolutely be a part of that and will be cooperative, and we look forward to making sure that happens and it happens well."
Hogan also revealed the club will be setting up a means by which Liverpool fans can pass their experiences onto the club, adding: "The most important thing is that people are safe, it was an incredibly difficult night for a lot of people, and we understand there were a lot of different experiences.
"It's imperative that we hear from supporters, that we get the facts, and we want to be able to provide those facts to the relevant authorities."
Meanwhile, the UK government, via culture secretary Dorries, has also demanded UEFA investigate the scenes after Liverpool West Derby MP Ian Byrne said fans had been treated like "animals".
"The footage and accounts from Liverpool fans and the media on their entry to the Stade de France last night are deeply concerning," a widely reported statement from Dorries said.
"Thousands of ticket holders travelled to Paris in good time to support their team in the biggest match of their season.
"I urge UEFA to launch a formal investigation into what went wrong and why, in coordination with stadium staff, the French Police, French Football Federation, Merseyside Police and Liverpool Football Club.
"It is in the interests of everyone involved to understand what happened and to learn lessons from these events."
Glasner challenges Crystal Palace to extend winning run
Oliver Glasner is hopeful that Crystal Palace can maintain their recent winning run when they travel to Fulham on Saturday.
After a run of five games without a victory, the Eagles have won each of their last three games, beating Liverpool, West Ham and Newcastle United.
Their 2-0 win over the Magpies on Wednesday also secured their Premier League safety for another season.
Glasner has given credit to his team’s attitude in turning around their recent run of form but does not want them to slow down despite reaching their goal.
He said: “The players give us confidence because they are listening. Every day we were sitting here and having a meeting and showing them videos and nobody was sleeping, so that gives us good feedback!
"Now we have 39 points and I think it shouldn't be our target to say ‘39 points, oh well done, staying in the Premier League’ because then I would say 'come on guys, go wherever you want and take vacations' – but no.
"We want to improve, we want to win games, and we have the next chance tomorrow at Fulham."
Columbus Crew v CF Montreal: Nancy proud of resilient Champions Cup performance
Wilfried Nancy was delighted with the spirit and grit his Columbus Crew team displayed as they sealed a 2-1 CONCACAF Champions Cup win over CF Monterrey.
The Crew are in a great position to progress to the Champions Cup final after their first-leg win in midweek.
Now, Nancy will turn his focus to a league clash with his former club CF Montreal, but he stressed his pride with his team for their performance against Monterrey.
“I'm really proud of the guys,” said Nancy.
“Because we did a really good game in terms of when we had the difficult moments, we were together. And when we had the ball, we tried to play our game and we had good opportunities also, and we were able to unbalance them.
“We try to convince [the squad] that when we play high-level sport, it's a game of mistakes.
The idea is no matter what happened, can we find a way to bounce back? So we work on that during the practice, but at the end of the day, you have to live this situation. And I think that we've worked upon in the past. So now they’ve been better and the chemistry is better. And they were able to sort it out.”
The Crew are the reigning MLS Cup champions, though they have drawn their last three league fixtures.
While Columbus sit fourth in the Eastern Conference, Montreal are three points back in 10th place.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Columbus Crew – Cucho Hernandez
Hernandez scored his 34th MLS goal (including playoffs) in the Crew’s draw on Saturday. Only the Philadelphia Union’s Daniel Gazdag (36) has more goals than Hernández since he made his MLS debut in July 2022.
CF Montreal – Ariel Lassiter
Lassiter put CF Montreal ahead against Orlando on Saturday with an 88th-minute goal, only to see the Lions equalize in stoppage time. It marked just the second time in club history that Montreal scored a go-ahead goal after the 75th minute but failed to win the match, also doing so against the Fire in 2017.
MATCH PREDICTION: COLUMBUS WIN
Montreal have lost 17 of their 25 away matches in all competitions (W5 D3) dating back to the start of last season, being outscored, 56-21, in those games.
Columbus are unbeaten in 17 straight regular-season home matches (W12 D5) following a pair of draws with D.C. United and the Portland Timbers. The only longer run in club history was a 22-match streak in 2008—09.
Columbus won both of their matches against Montreal last season after winning just two of the previous eight (D2 L4). Montreal (2-1 in August 2022) are one of two visiting teams to record a win at Lower.com Field since June 2022.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Columbus Crew – 56.4%
CF Montreal – 18.6%
Draw – 25%
RFEF elects Rocha as new president
The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has confirmed Pedro Rocha as its new president.
Rocha has been elected as Luis Rubiales' replacement, despite being under investigation for corruption.
He had been serving as interim president since Rubiales resigned in September over the scandal caused when he kissed player Jenni Hermoso following Spain's Women's World Cup triumph in August.
In a statement released on Friday, the RFEF said: "Pedro Rocha has today been proclaimed the new president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), after having received the support of the majority of the assembly members of this institution that governs Spanish football.
"The process followed the procedure agreed by the Electoral Commission, which met this morning, and the timetable that was established for these elections."
Rocha has been under investigation since earlier in April, after the RFEF's headquarters was raided by police last month. The Spanish government announced on Thursday that it would be stepping in to oversee the running of the organisation.
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